


The Hitchhiker

by NorthShore7911



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Clexa Halloween Week, Clextober 2019, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-11-02
Packaged: 2021-01-15 03:31:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,101
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21246776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NorthShore7911/pseuds/NorthShore7911
Summary: Her name is Clarke Griffin. She's twenty-seven years old. Her occupation: junior buyer at a prestigious New York City department store. At present, she’s on vacation, driving cross-country to Los Angeles, California to visit her old college roommate, but a minor incident on Highway 11 in Pennsylvania changes her life forever. For most, it could have been regarded as a routine fender bender perhaps, to be filed away under "accidents you walk away from." But from this moment on, Clarke Griffin’s companion on her trip to California will be something, someone, she never expected





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!
> 
> Something new and Halloween related for you, though it doesn’t quite follow the theme for today, I still hope you like it.
> 
> Enjoy!

Her name is Clarke Griffin. She's twenty-seven years old. Her occupation: junior buyer at a prestigious New York City department store. At present, she’s on vacation, driving cross-country to Los Angeles, California to visit her old college roommate, but a minor incident on Highway 11 in Pennsylvania changes her life forever. For most, it could have been regarded as a routine fender bender perhaps, to be filed away under "accidents you walk away from." But from this moment on, Clarke Griffin’s companion on her trip to California will be something, someone, she never expected. 

“Alright ma’am, that should do it.” The mechanic, Steve she thinks his name is, tells her as he wipes his hands in a greasy rag before stuffing it in his back pocket. “Wow,” she looks down at the time on her phone, “That didn’t take long at all.” 

“No, you’re pretty lucky we had that size and make of tire in stock, normally we don’t carry anything for classic cars like yours.” She looked over at her red and white 1956 Chevy Nomad. It was her dad’s project car that he would tinker with on the weekends. He had it ever since she was a little girl and she would spend countless hours out in the garage with him, watching as he puttered around the vehicle, listening intently as he explained what he was fixing and how he was fixing it. After her father passed, she inherited the car and two years ago she took some of the money he left her and had the Nomad fully restored. It was more of a resto-mod, with a modern stereo, suspension and fuel injection which made long trips like this one a pure joy. 

“It would take weeks for us to special order something like that.” Steve continued. “And I’m sure a pretty lady like you has much better things to do than wait around this one-horse town for a special order tire.” Steve smiled at her and she smile politely back. He was an older man, well into his 60’s, with thinning gray hair and a gap-toothed grin, but he seemed relatively harmless. 

“No, I have to be in California in about a week.” Clarke replied with another smile.

“Ah, taking the old girl across country,” Steve replied as he pointed at the newly fixed Nomad. “That’s a lovely drive this time of year.”

“Yes it is, so how much?” Clarke asked politely. 

“Ah yes, the dirty business,” Steve replied with a grin. “That’ll be $295.74, tax and all.”

Clarke nodded, expecting the price she was quoted when she was towed into the shop. “Do you take credit cards?”

“Yes ma’am.” 

She handed over her American Express card and Steve took it and turned around, heading into his “office” to process the payment. She exhaled quietly, as she tucked her pocketbook back into her purse. She sat back down in the waiting room of the shop. It was a small corner gas station with a one- bay garage that had probably been around since well before her Nomad was built, but it was the only garage in a fifty-mile radius that was open on a Sunday. 

She had chosen to take the scenic route for her trip, leaving the highway when she entered Pennsylvania and taking to the back roads, the roads her Nomad would have roamed in its heyday. It just felt right to Clarke, driving on the highway got boring and monotonous after a while, this way she had the green scenery and the winding roads to keep her attention. 

That is until a large pothole sucked in her front passenger side tire, blowing it out instantly. It was also big enough to throw her around a bit, luckily she managed to hold onto the wheel and keep control of the vehicle, had she let go, well she might be in a very different place right now than a sleepy little roadside town. 

But while it was sleepy, it was quite charming, at least it seemed that way to Clarke in the few hours she spent here. It had a small diner next door where she got an excellent cup of coffee and a 5 and 10 store across the street that was straight out of the 1950’s. Clarke pulled out her phone to take a picture of the storefront that seemed like it was untouched by the ravages of time. As the store’s marquee slowly came into focus ion her screen, she caught sight of something else.

She was standing on the sidewalk in front of the store, her hands tucked into the pockets of her blue jeans. She was looking down, kicking a small rock around the concrete with the toe of her black converse sneaker. The oversized gray hoodie she was wearing seemed to be too much for the warmth of the fine spring day they were currently experiencing, but it looked quite broken in and comfortable, clearly her favorite. 

Clarke stood up and moved closer to the window of the waiting room, her pic for Instagram long forgotten. She was entranced, even though she had yet to see the girls face. There was something about her, the way she carried herself, the way she stood on those long legs. The girl’s attention was drawn to the road that separated them as an old pickup truck rolled down the street, the girl stood at the edge of the sidewalk and eagerly stuck her thumb out. The truck ignored her and kept on going and the girl huffed as she jammed her hands back into her pockets. Clarke was sure she heard a faint” fuck” as the rusty truck passed the girl by. But now at least, Clarke could get a good look at her face.

And look at her face she did, the girl was utterly beautiful. Long brown hair, tucked haphazardly into a long braid, high cheekbones and a sharp jawline, bowed pink lips and long eyelashes. Then the girl turned back towards the gas station, catching Clarke staring at her. Clarke should have been embarrassed, but she was unfazed, so taken in by this girl in every way. Clarke’s hand was up, giving the girl a little wave before she even realized what she was doing. The girl smiled shyly and returned the wave, causing Clarke’s heart to skip a beat. 

“You’re all set. Just need you to sign the receipt.”

Clarke jumped, holding her chest, she didn’t hear Steve come back out of his little office and walk up behind her. She turned around to find Steve holding a slip of paper and a ballpoint pen out for her to take. She took both items and walked over to the shop’s counter, signing the receipt before handing it back to Steve. In return he gave her back her credit card and the keys to her Nomad. She thanked him again graciously and hurried to collect all of her belongings, so she could exit the gas station.

As soon as she felt the warm spring breeze hit her face, she turned and looked for the girl that had captivated her attention, but alas, the sidewalk where she stood only minutes ago was now vacant. Clarke rushed to the edge of the street, looking left and right to see if she could find the girl, but it was like the girl had just up and vanished. 

Clarke hurried back into the gas station, causing Steve to pull his attention from the old black and white TV in the corner. “Is everything alright Miss Griffin? The car’s not giving you trouble already is it?” Steve asked.

“Uh no, I actually haven’t even been back in it yet. I was wondering though, if you knew the girl that was across the street?” 

Steve got up and peered out the dust speckled window. “I don’t see anyone.” He replied simply. 

“No uh, she was there a few minutes ago, Mid-20’s, thin, long brown hair, very attractive, does anyone like that live around here?”

Steve scratched his forehead and thought for a minute. “No, no one like that around here, none that I can think of anyway. Was she giving you trouble?”

“Oh no, nothing like that.” Clarke replied quickly.” I just wanted to talk to her, see if she wanted a cup of that delicious coffee from next door.”

Steve eyed her funny, probably just realizing what exactly Clarke was intending when she wanted to ask this girl out for a cup of coffee. Clarke squared up her shoulders, ready for a fight. Maybe backwater Pennsylvania wasn’t the place to announce one girl’s intentions to ask another girl on a date, but Clarke was not going to let anyone hassle her about her sexuality. No sir, she had spent far too long locked in that closet to be forced back in now. 

Steve shrugged his shoulders apologetically, “sorry, I don’t know her,” he replied before turning his attention back to the football game on his TV. 

“Oh, ok.” Clarke replied as she blew out a slow breath, the fire of her anger now reduced to smoldering coals. “Thanks again.” She spoke in a more conciliatory tone as Steve kept his eyes on the TV but smiled and nodded in her direction. 

Once again she was back on the street, she did a long search of both side of the road once again before dejectedly opening the door of her car and getting in. She rolled down her window and took one more look around before placing the key in the ignition and bringing her car back to life. “Wasn’t meant to be I guess.” She muttered to herself as she put the car in drive and pulled back onto the road. She put the girl and the sleepy little town in the rearview mirror. 

Clarke had made it into another sleepy little town, somewhere between Columbus and Cincinnati, Ohio when she decided to stop for the night. She settled on a little lakeside motel called the Capricorn Inn. She pulled her overnight bag out of the back of her car and slid it on her shoulder before walking up the stone path to the entrance. 

The Capricorn Inn, like the 5 and 10 store in Pennsylvania, appeared to be untouched by the passing of time. It was straight out of a picture postcard from the early 1960’s, a small roadside establishment that Clarke was sure many weary travelers rested their heads at for the night over the years. It was quiet and peaceful with only the sound of the cicadas chirping away in the background to fill her ears. Her’s was the one lone car in the parking lot and she was most likely the only traveler this place had seen in a very long time.  


She opened the entrance door and saw the front desk was unmanned. She walked over to the counter and gave the bell sitting on in a timid ring. An older woman, maybe about the same age as Steve appeared from behind a heavy wooden door and ambled over to the desk. “Good evening.” She spoke as she looked Clarke up and down. “You need a room?”

Clarke nodded. “Yes please.”

The woman grabbed an ink pen form a chipped mug that served as a desk knick-knack and opened a large paper ledger, flipping to an empty page.

“Name?”

“Clarke Griffin.” 

The woman nodded and wrote down Clarke’s name, even adding the “e” at the end which Clarke always had to remind people to do. The woman then bent down and plucked a key from a rack under the counter, she inspected the number and wrote it down ion the ledger next to Clarke’s name. 

“One night? Or will you be staying with us for a while?”

“Oh just one night please.” 

The woman nodded and wrote some more information down in the ledger. “Very good then. Room 6.” She replied as she held out the silver key for Clarke. 

“You don’t need a credit card or my ID?” Clarke asked.

“Oh no dear, just sign here.” The woman replied and pointed to an empty space in the ledger next to Clarke’s name. 

“Right here?” Clarke asked confirming that she was signing in the right place and the woman nodded in agreement. 

Clarke signed her full name and took possession of the key. 

“Last door on the right, just pick up the phone if you need anything, it automatically dials the front desk. Have a good night dear.” And just like that, the woman disappeared behind the heavy door again. 

“You too.” Clarke spoke to the door.

The room was small but clean, and had all the basic amenities that one could ask for, if one was a traveler during JFK’s presidency. Clarke dropped her bag on the bed and opened it, searching around for her pajamas and clean underwear before heading off to the bathroom, she hoped this place had some working hot water as she was in dire need of a shower. She found the clothes she wanted and grabbed her toiletry bag before slipping into the bathroom. 

Thirty minutes later she was fresh and clean. The motel had surprisingly good water pressure and Clarke let the stinging water beat down on her skin until she was a bright shade of pink. She toweled off and got in her pajamas, only to feel her stomach growling in protest. 

It had been about four hours since she last stopped for some food and gas, she grabbed her purse and dug around the bottom for some loose change, hoping that the old vending machines she walked by to get to her room still worked. 

She stepped out of her room with a pocket full of change and walked back towards the front office. It was a mild night, the stars were out and the frogs in the nearby lake were croaking in harmony. It was times like this, in the quiet solitude of a backroad motel and a warm spring evening that Clarke was glad she decided to drive and not fly to California. 

She walked over to the machines that looked to be straight out of the 1950’s. One was an old metal Coca Cola machine and the other was and old vending machine that had some candy bars, and few bags of chips, pretzels and salted peanuts. She inserted her quarters and dimes and successfully scored a bag of pretzels and a Kit Kat bar. She inspected them closely, because she had no idea how long they’d begin in there, but the sell by dates were still long off and they looked pretty fresh. It wasn’t her ideal dinner, but she was certain there was no room service and the Capricorn Inn, so right now, this would have to do. She then moved over to the Coke machine. “10 cents?” She asked no one in particular as she read the price listed on the front. “How do they make any money on these?” She stuck her hand back in her pocket and fished out a dime, then dropped it in the coin slot. “Now press lever.” She spoke to herself, reading the instructions on the front of the machine. She pressed the silver lever and a long skinny door on the front of the machine popped open. Clarke opened the door the rest of the way and saw there was a bottle popped out of its slot ready for her to take. She pulled out the bottle an inspected it like she did the food. “Holy shit, a glass bottle, I didn’t even know they made these anymore.” She popped off the cap on the provided bottle opener and took a drink.“Mmmnn, good.” Clarke collected her dinner, and turned to head back to her room.

That when she saw her. 

She was talking to the woman who checked Clarke in, they were about fifty feet away from her and she had her back to Clarke, but Clarke would recognize her anywhere. She was having quite an animated discussion with the woman from the front desk, though Clarke couldn’t hear what they were saying. Before she could get over to her, the gril hopped into the bed of a waiting pick up truck and began to drive off.

“Wait!” Clarke yelled as she juggled her food in her hands, trying not to drop anything. 

She saw the girl pick her head up and look at her as the beat up truck rolled off. The girl gave her a smile and a wave, just like she did in Pennsylvania, before she was down the road and out of Clarke’s sight. 

“No.” She huffed out as she struggled to hold onto her things. She spied the woman from the motel walking back into the front office. “Hey,” Clarke called out to her, but the woman ignored her. “Ma’am, excuse me, ma’am.” Clarke walked briskly after her and grabbed her sleeve.

“Oh hello dear.” The woman replied innocently as if she can’t heard Clarke calling out for her. “What can I help you with?”

“That woman,” Clarke pointed in the direction that the truck left in, “do you know her?”

The older woman’s face turned glum, “that girl is trouble, you should just forget you ever saw her.”

Clarke couldn’t believe that a girl with such a sweet smile could be that bad. “What do you mean trouble?”

“She’s a drifter, hitchhikes from town to town looking for work, but no matter where she goes trouble follows her, she wanted a job here, but after last summer, well…” the woman shook her head, “no thank you.”

Clarke looked back at the road where the girl was only minutes ago, she couldn’t find it in herself to believe that she was a troublemaker.

“Can you tell me her name at least?” Clarke asked the woman.

The woman let out and exasperated sigh. “Her name is Lexa.”


	2. Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The conclusion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the conclusion of The Hitchhiker.
> 
> Enjoy!

“Lexa.” Clarke let the name roll over her tongue as she lay in bed that night. “Lexa.” She repeated it again in a low whisper. She closed her eyes and her mind wandered. To soft lips that begged to be kissed, to long drown hair that Clarke had to run her fingers through. But there was something more than just the physical attraction, there was a certain familiarly about the girl that Clarke couldn’t quite place, like she knew her from somewhere. Maybe they had met once, New York City was a big place after all. Clarke drifted off to sleep with thoughts of Lexa’s sweet smile as the last thing on her mind.

She was back on the road by 8 am the next morning, happy to be back in the comfort of the quilted vinyl bench seat of her Nomad. She was looking forward to his drive, she needed to clear her mind from the dreams she had last night. While they were pleasant, they were also quite dirty and Clarke was seven long months into her latest dry spell. What she needed was some fresh air and some green scenery to put her mind back into the right mode.

The day’s drive was uneventful and Clarke made is as far as Missouri before she decided to stop again for the night. She ended up in a little town called Licking, which Clarke, being the mature adult she is, took a photo of the town sign and sent it off to her bff Raven, knowing she would get a chuckle out of the name as well.

She pulled up to a little drive in restaurant on Main Street called Frosty Treat and parked. She was in the mood for a cheeseburger and chocolate shake and she knew this would be the exact place to find both. The place was old, and like most of the other places she had stopped on this trip, straight out of a long forgotten decade.

She went inside and ordered her food to go, opting to sit out at one of the outdoor picnic tables in front of the restaurant. She pulled the food out of the white paper bag and unwrapped the greasy, loaded cheeseburger, taking a bit bite. “Mmmm.” She hummed in appreciation before washing down her burger with a drink of her chocolate shake. She pulled out her phone as she ate, wanting to catch up on her emails.

She sent off her last reply and then opened her Instagram, she scrolled for a minute before a thought hit her. She opened the search bar and typed in one word. “Lexa.”

There couldn’t be that many “Lexas” out there it wasn’t that common a name, unless it was short for something, Alexandria? Alexa? Maybe. Clarke scrolled through a few names before she found a possible match.

“Lexa Woods.”

Clarke opened up the profile and found hundreds of pictures of the girl she had now seen twice on her trip. She pressed on the first one and smiled. It was a picture of Lexa and another girl, they were both paddling kayaks on what looked to be a lake. Both looking at each other and laughing as they splashed their paddles in the water. Clarke laughed at that hashtags #paddlebros #kayakssnaks #lexiloo #lunamoona #noteenoughbeerforthisadventure #drunkandpaddlindonttellthecoastguard Lexa and her friend has a good sense humor at least. The she noticed the date.

June 4, 2018.

Her last post was almost a year ago.

She scrolled through a few more of Lexa’s pics, all were from June of last year or earlier, going all the way back to when she was a young teenager in 2007.

“Storms coming.”

“Shit!” Clarke dropped her phone and grabbed her chest, her heart nearly jumping out of her chest in surprise. She didn’t even see the man approach her table.

“I’m sorry. What did you say?” She asked as she fished her phone out of a puddle of ketchup.

The man pointed at the horizon and Clarke saw the lightening shoot across the sky in the distance. “Storms coming. You should get somewhere safe.” The man then turned and walked off down the street.

“Thank you.” Clarke shouted after him only to get no response. She shook her head and cleaned up her mess before getting back in her car.

She opted to stay in a another small roadside motel just outside of town. The Salem Lodge sat at the edge of the Indian Trail State Forest. Like the Capricorn Inn, it was quiet and peaceful and lost in another time. This place looked like it hadn’t been updated since the 1940’s, but the raindrops on Clarke’s windshield left her caring very little when it had been renovated last. She just wanted to get inside before the storm broke. She collapsed on the bed, her exhaustion hitting her all at once, she was asleep seconds after her head found the pillow.

She woke up later, the rain pelting against the front window of her room. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but she knew it had been a few hours at least. She rubbed at her eyes, cringing that she fell asleep without removing her makeup. She stumbled towards the bathroom hoping to both relieve herself and scrub the day from her face. She came back in to room and grabbed her bag, searching though it till she found her pajamas and began to get undressed.

The storm was still raging on outside, Clarke felt the thunder rumble though the whole motel, shaking the walls as its lightening counterpart lit up the sky. She looked at the large window in her room as another stark of lightening raced through the darkness, making it look like daytime outside for a few seconds. She moved closer, watching as nature played out its dangerous and beautiful symphony. The lightening flashed again, but this time, something, _someone_, caught her attention.

It was the outline of a woman, across the street from the motel. Before Clarke could make out who it was, the sky returned to black. She was pressed up against the window now, her eyes searching the darkness, trying to find the figure she swore she saw only moments before. Another bolt of lighting cracked out and Clarke saw her again.

“Lexa.” Clarke whispered. She ran to the door and threw it open, that rain now hit her full on, soaking though her clothing and right down to her bones. Clarke whipped her head around looking for the girl, but like every time before, Lexa had simply disappeared. Clarke stood in the rain, her arms wrapped around herself for warmth, her teeth chattering from the cool spring night, but Lexa was long gone.

After fifteen more minutes Clarke dragged herself back inside, she ran a hot bath and dipped in, trying to chase the chill from her pruned skin. Clarke rested her head against the back of the tub, letting the warmth envelop her as her thoughts wandered. “Who are you Lexa Woods?”

She didn’t have an answer, but the thought filled her mind the whole next day. As the rain from Missouri fell farther into the distance in her rear view mirror, and the deserts of New Mexico began to fill her windshield, she found herself consumed by the thought of one Lexa Woods. She had so many questions and so little answers, where was she from? Why did she keep popping up on the unorthodox route that Clarke had been taking to California. Why hadn’t she posted anything on her social media in almost a year? Why did the innkeeper in Ohio tell Clarke Lexa was nothing but trouble?

Clarke shook the thoughts out of her mind and looked around her, this part of the country was so beautiful, Clarke wished she had paid more attention to her surroundings when it was daylight out. She was in the middle of the desert, white sand all around and not another house or town in sight for miles. She was headed to her next stop, Truth or Consequences New Mexico. She didn’t know how prophetic that name would turn out to be.

There were about forty more miles to cover before she got there, the moon was out and it guided her down the long and winding road to her destination. She came upon a large curve in the road, so she slowed down the Nomad accordingly, taking the s curve like a pro, she she was on the last bend, she saw someone standing beside the road with their thumb out. As Clarke grew closer to the lone figure, her eyebrows shot up in surprise.

It was her.

She was wearing the same clothes that she was wearing the first time Clarke saw her. She had a worn green backpack slung over her left shoulder, and her shoes had been stained by the white clay of the desert.

She knew how dangerous it was to pick up random strangers, knew that if her mother found out she would yell at her for days about how foolish she was. But before Clarke even realized what she was doing, she pulled over in front of the girl. Her Nomad came to a stop within inches of Lexa, her headlights lighting the girl up like a Christmas Tree. Lexa smiled at her and walked over to the passenger side of the vehicle leaning in the open window.

“Hello again.” She spoke with a crooked smile, and was seemingly completely unsurprised that it was Clarke who pulled over for her. Her voice was smooth like silk, and it cut through Clarke like a hot knife though butter. She crossed her arms on the window frame, giving Clarke another shy smile. “I’m looking for a ride to Truth or Consequences, is that where your heading?”

Clarke just blinked blankly at her, for she was now unable to find her voice, she was too caught up in taking in Lexa’s beautiful features. Lexa pulled back out of the window, “I’ll just wait for the next car, sorry to bother you.”

“No.” Clarke croaked out, “I’m sorry.” She huffed at her own incredible ineptness at talking to a pretty girl. “Please, get in.”

Lexa eyed her carefully, but opened the door and took up residence on the passenger side of the bench seat. Clarke stepped on the gas and steered the vehicle back onto the road. She couldn’t help but let her eyes wander over to Lexa, she noticed that Lexa seems at home in the Nomad, like she belonged there. “This is a really nice car. 56?” Lexa asked.

“Yeah,” Clarke responded impressed that this girl seemed to know her cars. “Thank you.”

“We seem to keep running into each other.” Lexa spoke.

Clarke smiled. “We do, our paths seem to keep crossing.”

“I’m heading to California to visit a friend, where are you heading?”

“Nowhere in particular.” Lexa spoke as she looked over at Clarke. “So, you gonna tell me your name beautiful?”

Clarke could feel the blush rising up her chest and cheeks. “Clarke.”

Lexa smiled. “Beautiful name for a beautiful girl.”

Clarke smiled again “And you pretty lady? What’s your name?”

“Lexa. Lexa Woods.”

Clarke stuck her hand out. “Nice to meet you Lexa Woods.”

Lexa took her hand and shook it. “Nice to meet you too Clarke.”

They continued on, filling the miles with idle banter and flirtatious comments. Clarke liked her, she was sweet, charming and easy to talk to. Clarke found herself getting more and more captivated by the girl next to her.

“Pull over here please.” Lexa pointed to a motel up ahead. They were still about five miles outside Truth or Consequences, but Clarke did as Lexa requested. It was a motel like every other she’d stayed at, out of the way, forgotten by time, charming and quaint in its own way. She always preferred little off the beaten path places like this to cookie cutter brand name hotels. Something told her that Lexa did to.

“I hope you don’t mind.” Lexa spoke as they exited the car. “I’ve been walking all day and I’m beat.”

“Not at all,” Clarke said as she went to the back of her car to get her overnight bag. “I’m about ready for a break myself.”

They walked to the small office that held the front desk area. Clarke had a feeling deep in her gut that if Lexa got her own room, Clarke might never see her again. That the last thirty minutes, even after all the miles she had unknowingly chased after Lexa, might be the only time they ever spent together. Clarke wasn’t going to let that happen.

“Lexa, do you um, maybe want to share a room?” Clarke asked the girl hopefully, her heart in her throat. “To save money of course.”

Lexa smiled at her, “That sounds like a great idea actually.”

The innkeeper gave them a suspicious look, but handed over the key to room 17 without a fuss. Lexa led them to the room and opened the door. Clarke took a quick look around, it looked like it was quite clean and well stocked. She threw her overnight bag on the chair and sat on the bed. Lexa took off her backpack and placed it on the dresser and then sat down next to Clarke on the bed.

“So…” Clarke spoke nervously.

“So…” Lexa replied.

They looked at each other and giggled. “Maybe you could tell me a a little bit more about yourself.” Clarke asked quietly.

“Um, sure.” Lexa replied softly.

“Where to begin?” Lexa asked herself. “Well um, last spring, my friends and I were on a cross country trip, similar to the one your on right now. We were drifting really, stopping and working for a little bit to save up money and move onto the next place. My friend Luna and I worked at summer camp by the inn, the same inn you saw me at in Ohio. We were helping to fix it up for the new summer season. My friend Anya worked at bar a few miles down the road. We were staying at the motel, but we were only there for a few more days before we were planning on heading off again. And we would have, but I found out it was my time and I had to leave.”

“And they stayed?”

Lexa nodded, “They did. It wasn’t their time to leave yet.”

“Where did you go?”

Lexa’s hands were running nervously up and down her jean clad thighs. “Clarke you don’t understand, while we were at the lake last summer…I died.”

“What?” Clarke started laughing thinking Lexa was playing a mean joke on her. “Very funny Lexa.”

“Clarke I’m serious.”

Clarke looked the girl over, she could see the deep emotion written all over Lexa’s face. And for a reason she didn’t understand, she believed that Lexa believed what she was saying. And with that, the smile instantly dropped from Clarke’s face.

She approached her tentatively, like she would approach a scared animal, she didn’t want Lexa to bolt, but she needed to hear more. “What happened?”

Lexa looked away, “I uh…I drowned.”

Clarke looked at her softly. “Tell me.”

“I decided after everyone went to bed that I wanted to get some air. I walked out onto the dock, only it was dark, moonless.” Lexa turned and looked out the window into the night. “I was feeling pretty good, we had a lot to drink that night, I just wanted some fresh air. I couldn’t see that the dock was wet, the wood was worn.” Lexa shrugged. “I slipped…my pants got caught on a jagged rock and I... well, you know.”

“The innkeeper was there when they pulled out my body, she held my friends as they cried. When she saw me again, she knew I wasn’t supposed to be there, that I wasn’t supposed to be _here_, she was just trying to warn you off, she thought she was protecting you.”

“But you’re here, you’re flesh and blood.” Clarke moved closer to Lexa, grabbing her forearms. “I can feel you.” She whispered.

“And I can feel you.” Lexa whispered back. “Because you’re here… with me.”

“What do you mean?” Clarke looked at Lexa, the confusion written on her face.

Lexa sighed and reached for Clarke’s phone, she picked up the device and handed it to Clarke. “Call your mother.”

“What?” Why?”

“Just…please.” Lexa implored her. Clarke took the phone from Lexa and pulled up her mother’s contact. She hit dial and put the phone to her ear.

“Hello?” A familiar voice answered, but it wasn’t her mother.

“Raven?” Clarke asked, wondering why her friend was answering her mother’s phone.

“Who is this?” Raven replied.

“Rae, it’s Clarke.”

“I’m going to ask you again,” Raven’s voice was filling with a palpable anger “who is this?!”

“Raven,” Clarke’s was growing concerned. “It’s me, it’s Clarke!”

“Look, I don’t know who you are or what kind of sick joke you’re playing, but you need to stop right now!” Raven shouted into her ear. “Clarke Griffin is dead! She died a week ago in Pennsylvania!”

Clarke gasped and her hand flew to cover her mouth. “I…”

“Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go sit with her inconsolable mother. Oh and kindly fuck off!”

The resounding click of the phone call ending was all Clarke heard. She dropped the phone onto the floor and buried her face in her hands. Lexa rushed to her side and wrapped her arms around her. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t allowed to tell you, you had to find out on your own.”

Clarke looked up at her, tears leaving runny mascara trails down her cheeks. “Who are you?”

Lexa reached up and cupped Clarke’s face, the pads of her thumbs clearing away the trail the tears had left. “For right now, I’m your guide.”

Clarke sniffled. “My guide?”

Lexa smiled, “for now, yes. I’m here to help you transition to the other side.”

“No, no!” Clarke stood and shouted as she batted Lexa’s hands away. “You know Raven, don’t you? You two cooked this up as some kind of sick joke!“

Lexa sighed. “I wish it was that simple. This is not a joke Clarke, this is real.” Lexa went over to her back again and pulled out a folded up newspaper. She unfolded it and handed it to Clarke. “Read it.”

Clarke took the paper and opened it, she was shocked at what she found.

**Clarke Griffin, 27, of Manhattan, New York City, passed in a tragic accident in rural Pennsylvania on Tuesday, April 9, 2019. Clarke was beloved daughter of Jacob and Abigail Griffin. She was born on January 22, 1992 in...**

“I can’t believe I’m dead.” Clarke dropped onto the bed and sniffled again. “How did it happen?”

“Do you remember when your tire blew out?”

Clarke nodded. “But I was fine, nothing happened but the tire.”

“You weren’t. When your car went in the pothole, your head hit the steering wheel.” Lexa raised her hand up and traced a scar in Clarke’s hairline, a scar that wasn’t there before. Clarke raised her own hand and followed Lexa’s finger, tracing the newly discovered scar.

Clarke shook her head, “but my mother, my friends.” Clarke stood up wringing her hands. “I can’t, I’m not ready!”

Lexa rushed to her side, “hey,” she reached for Clarke’s hands and squeezed them, “I know it’s scary, believe me. But they will be ok… and so will you.”

“How do you know?” Clarke sniffled again.

Lexa smiled. “Do you trust me?”

Clarke did. She didn’t know why, she barely knew Lexa, but for some reason, she trusted her with everything, more than she had ever trusted anyone in her whole life. “Yes.” Clarke whispered.

Lexa moved in and cradled Clarke’s face, she looked deeply into Clarke’s eyes before brushing their lips together, she kissed Clarke slow and gently. And that’s when Clarke saw it.

Hundred of lifetimes unfurling behind her eyelids, all of them her past lives. A sharecropper in Georgian Northern England, a handmaiden to a noble Victorian family, a tavern owner in colonial Philadelphia, a nurse in a Civil War hospital in Washington DC, a miner in Canada during the Klondike gold rush, a merchant in South Dakota, a factory worker during WW2, a steno pool secretary at an advertising agency on Madison Ave, a retired housewife living in the suburbs, all of them happy and filled with love, even the ones that were tragically short, and all of them, every single one of them, shared with the person now kissing her lips.

She pulled back and looked into the now familiar green eyes staring back at her. “I remember, I remember everything.”

“Lexa.” She whispered and pulled the woman in again, this kiss was fiercer, deeper, filled with every ounce of emotion she was feeling.

“There’s my girl.” Lexa whispered as she leaned in, resting their foreheads together. They stayed wrapped up in each other, Clarke clinging to the woman she loved more than anything else in this world.

After a few minutes Clarke broke the silence. “We didn’t meet each other this lifetime.” She picked her head up, “what happened?”

Lexa shrugged. “I don’t know, but I do know that’s why they sent me to be your guide.”

Clarke nodded, “So where do we go from here?”

Lexa smiled, “we have all the time we want to make up for not meeting this lifetime, then when we’re ready, we cross over and start again.”

“My father?” Clarke asked.

Lexa smiled. “Jake’s waiting for you when your ready, but he wants you to take your time and enjoy yourself, no hurry.”

Clarke grinned, her father was ok, she knew deep down her mother and her friends would be ok, she didn’t know how, but she just knew. She was also delighted at having all the time she wanted to spend with Lexa. Lexa pulled her back in for a hug and Clarke was content to be in Lexa’s arms once again. “Lexa?”

“Hmm?”

“Promise me one thing, promise me that you’ll find me in the next lifetime. Promise me you won’t make me wait until I die to see you again.”

Lexa looked at her with a warmth her eyes that was so familiar. “I promise I will find you in every lifetime Clarke.”

Clarke kissed Lexa again, pressing into her and leading her back to the bed. The both laughed as they tumbled onto the mattress. Clothing was quickly stripped away and they spent the rest of the night getting thoroughly reacquainted with each other.

The next morning, they were greeted with a beautiful sunrise and another warm spring day. Clarke threw her bag into the back of her Nomad, her stomach was full , her heart was full and she wanted nothing more to get the next part of her life, well her afterlife, started. She opened the driver’s side door and slipped in, happy to find the love of her many lives already waiting in the passenger seat. She pulled the keys from her pocket and stuck them in the ignition, giving it the slight turn that brought her Nomad roaring to life.

She popped on her sunglasses and looked over at her girl, “Where to?” Clarke asked with a wide smile.

Lexa had her own Ray Bans on and looked over with a smile that had Clarke melting. “Anywhere you want love, we have all the time in the world.”

“Yes we do.”

Clarke put the Nomad in drive and started off down the road, Lexa turned up the radio and stared to sing along to the song blasting through the speakers. They had forever in front of them and neither had any intention of ever looking back.

Her name is Clarke Griffin. She was twenty-seven years old. Her former occupation: junior buyer at a prestigious New York City department store. At present, she’s on vacation, driving cross-country to no where in particular, but a minor incident on Highway 11 in Pennsylvania changed her life forever. For most, it could have been regarded as a routine fender bender perhaps, to be filed away under "accidents you walk away from." But for Clarke, she didn’t walk away, her last life ended there and her next life is currently far off. Clarke Griffin’s companion on her trip is someone she never expected, but she couldn’t be happier with the turn of events that lead her to… the hitchhiker.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story was inspired by an old episode of the Twilight Zone, though the original ending was much darker in the show. As you can see, the tags are pretty general and leave out two major character deaths. I didn't want the tags to spoil the story, so I’m sorry if both of them being dead upset anyone. I thought I handled it in a way where they both are truly ok and they both get their happy ending. Again I apologize if this upset any one. 
> 
> I hoped you all liked it!

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you like it so far, The conclusion is almost done and will be posted soon. As for readers of my other work “The Trip” I hope to have an update soon, I’ve had the worst case of writers block and this little story helped me work through it, so I hope to have an update for you soon!


End file.
